Who This Book Is For

"VMware vCloud Director Cookbook" is aimed at system administrators and technical architects moving from a virtualized environment to cloud environments. Familiarity with cloud computing platforms and some knowledge of virtualization and managing cloud environments is expected.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Setting Up Networks

Introduction

Setting up an External Network

Creating 1,000 isolated networks without VXLANs

Making VXLANs work

Integrating the Cisco 1000v into vCD

Giving your networks an Edge

Doing it all(most) without a Distributed Switch

Chapter 2: vCloud Networks

Introduction

Deploying a vApp with a vApp router

Forwarding an RDP (or SSH) session into an isolated vApp

Accessing a fully isolated vApp or Organization Network

Using Organization Networks for interconnection between vApps

Using templates with firewall and NAT settings

Connecting a physical device to an isolated network

Sharpening the Edge

Using vApp Network fencing

Creating multitiered vApp Networks

Ensuring no change in IP after redeployment

Automatic IP management for External Network Pools

Creating load-balanced VMs in an organization

Creating a secure connection between organizations (which can be in different vClouds)

Monitoring which network resources have been used where

Chapter 3: Better vApps

Introduction

Proper vApp startup and shutdown

Adding a VM to a vApp

Importing a vApp into vCloud

Exporting a vApp from vCloud

Creating a sandbox environment

Using Guest Customization with pre and post deploy

Using PowerShell or Perl to perform Guest Customization tasks

Sharing a vApp

Joining VMs automatically to domains

Using vApp maintenance mode

Chapter 4: Datastores and Storage Profiles

Introduction

Adding a new storage profile to vCD

Using a specific datastore for templates

Using storage profiles for storage tiering

Making operations on NFS datastores faster

Working with vApp templates and their Shadows

Reducing the chain length of Linked Clones

Configuring storage alarms

Monitoring storage

The problems associated with the backup and restore of vCloud

Chapter 5: Working with the vCloud API

Introduction

Using PowerShell with vCloud Director

Accessing REST with Firefox

Accessing vCD via PHP

Using vCenter Orchestrator to automate vCloud

A scripted cell shutdown

Adding ISO files to vCD automatically

Chapter 6: Improving the vCloud Design

Introduction

Creating a naming standard

Using service accounts in the vCloud environment

Setting up networks for the vCloud VM

Working with vCloud roles

Keeping your templates under control

Choosing the right Allocation Model

Using OvDCs for compute tiering

Understanding how the different vCloud types impact the design

Retrofitting a shared directory into an existing vCD Cell

Connecting more than one vCloud Cell to the same infrastructure

Creating multiple vCD Cells for the same vCloud

Load balancing vCD

Working with catalogs in vCloud 5.5

Chapter 7: Operational Challenges

Loading Windows Sysprep packages in vCloud

Exchanging SSL certificates

Bypassing SSO login into vCloud

Backing up vCloud

Recovering the vCloud system

Changing the name of an organization

Shutting down and starting up the vCloud environment

Using metadata to improve provisioning

Using vSphere Host Profiles with vCloud

Using vCloud with vCenter Auto Deploy

Defining a vCloud development cycle

Making the VM BIOS ID (UUID) unique

Importing from Lab Manager into vCloud

Using branding to make vCloud look different

Putting an ESXi host into maintenance

Updating vCloud Cells without interruption

Updating a vCloud with only one cell

Updating a vCenter in vCloud

Updating vCNS

Expanding vCD resources

Resizing a VM hard disk

Cloning a running vApp

Removing infrastructure from vCloud

Chapter 8: Troubleshooting vCloud

Introduction

Looking for errors in the vCloud GUI

Working with vCloud logfiles

Creating and uploading VMware support files

Setting up and using vSphere Syslog Collector

Troubleshooting vCloud Router traffic

Troubleshooting the Java client

Recovering from an outage

What You Will Learn

Make VXLANs work

Access isolated vApp networks

Fence vApps

Import and export vApps

Customize VMGuest

Use PowerShell, PERL and REST to access the vCloud

Load-balance vCloud Cells

Whats new in vCloud 5.5 and how to use it

Improve your vCloud Design

In Detail

VMware vCloud Director is an enterprise software solution that enables the building of secure, private clouds by pooling together infrastructure resources into virtual data centers. The tool enables self-service via a web interface to reduce the management overhead and offers amazing possibilities for production and development environments. Thus, the tool will ensure efficient management of resources with data center efficiency and business agility.

"VMWare VCloud Director Cookbook" will cover a lot of ground, ranging from easy to complex recipes. It will not only dive into networks, data-stores, and vApps, but also cover vCloud design improvements, troubleshooting, and the vCloud API.

"VMWare VCloud Director Cookbook" is split into different sections, each of which deals with a special topic in vCloud - from networks, to vApps, to storage and design. This book contains over 80 recipes with the difficulty levels ranging from simple to very advanced. You will learn how to automate vCloud easily and quickly with the API, and also learn how to isolate a vApp and still fully access it without risking the network. Design considerations that need to be addressed while deploying the vCloud and more will also be looked into.

"VMWare VCloud Director Cookbook" will make your life as an admin a lot easier by providing you with some good recipes that have been proven to work in small to large enterprises.

Authors

Daniel Langenhan

Daniel Langenhan is a virtualization expert with formidable skills in architecture, design, and implementation for large multitier systems. His experience and knowledge of process management, enterprise-level storage, and Linux and Windows operating systems have made him and his business a highly sought international consultancy in the Asia Pacific and European regions for multinational clientele in the areas of finance, communication, education, and government. Daniel has been working with VMware products since 2002 and has been directly associated with VMware since 2008. He has a proven track record of successful integrations of virtualization into different business areas while minimizing cost and maximizing reliability and effectiveness for his clients.

Daniel's expertise and practical approach to VMware have resulted in the publication of the following books:

Instant VMware vCloud Starter, Packt Publishing

VMware View Security Essentials, Packt Publishing

VMware vCloud Director Cookbook, Packt Publishing

He has also lent his expertise to many other publishing projects as a technical editor.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Setting Up Networks

Introduction

Setting up an External Network

Creating 1,000 isolated networks without VXLANs

Making VXLANs work

Integrating the Cisco 1000v into vCD

Giving your networks an Edge

Doing it all(most) without a Distributed Switch

Chapter 2: vCloud Networks

Introduction

Deploying a vApp with a vApp router

Forwarding an RDP (or SSH) session into an isolated vApp

Accessing a fully isolated vApp or Organization Network

Using Organization Networks for interconnection between vApps

Using templates with firewall and NAT settings

Connecting a physical device to an isolated network

Sharpening the Edge

Using vApp Network fencing

Creating multitiered vApp Networks

Ensuring no change in IP after redeployment

Automatic IP management for External Network Pools

Creating load-balanced VMs in an organization

Creating a secure connection between organizations (which can be in different vClouds)

Alerts & Offers

Series & Level

We understand your time is important. Uniquely amongst the major publishers, we seek to develop and publish the broadest range of learning and information products on each technology. Every Packt product delivers a specific learning pathway, broadly defined by the Series type. This structured approach enables you to select the pathway which best suits your knowledge level, learning style and task objectives.

Learning

As a new user, these step-by-step tutorial guides will give you all the practical skills necessary to become competent and efficient.

Beginner's Guide

Friendly, informal tutorials that provide a practical introduction using examples, activities, and challenges.

Essentials

Fast paced, concentrated introductions showing the quickest way to put the tool to work in the real world.

Cookbook

A collection of practical self-contained recipes that all users of the technology will find useful for building more powerful and reliable systems.

Blueprints

Guides you through the most common types of project you'll encounter, giving you end-to-end guidance on how to build your specific solution quickly and reliably.

Mastering

Take your skills to the next level with advanced tutorials that will give you confidence to master the tool's most powerful features.

Starting

Accessible to readers adopting the topic, these titles get you into the tool or technology so that you can become an effective user.

Progressing

Building on core skills you already have, these titles share solutions and expertise so you become a highly productive power user.